PLDC puts public on hold as state admits other follies

The state’s Public Land Development Corp. confused the aloha spirit with the spirit of aino­kea as we "flASHback" on the week’s news that amused and confused:

» PLDC officials held a single public hearing on their proposed new rules at an inconvenient time, in a tiny room that couldn’t fit the protesting crowd and with the majority of the board absent. Other than that, they’d love to hear what you think.

» Green Party co-founder Keiko Bonk called the PLDC a "developer plot" and asserted, "You just can’t rip off the people’s public resources and get away with it." She knows she’s in Hawaii, right?

» Bonk’s mother, Fumi, offered the most terse and loudly applauded statement to PLDC officers when she declared, "God damn you." What times we live in; you get sued for starting a public meeting with a prayer and cheered for ending one with a curse.

» In ongoing investigations, University of Hawaii regents said poor judgment caused the Stevie Wonder debacle and the Office of Elections said better planning could have averted the Election Day ballot shortage. Give them a "No kidding, Sherlock" and a "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

» UH President M.R.C. Greenwood and the Board of Regents made up and pledged to work together after she withdrew her letter demanding a $2 million buyout. Welcome to the new season of "Survivor: University of Hawaii."

» Some $77 million worth of steel track for Oahu rail is arriving, even though it isn’t needed for at least two years, and lame-duck Mayor Peter Carlisle greeted the first shipment with a big kiss. Perhaps Kirk Caldwell will invite him back next year to lick off the rust.

» Former Councilman Rod Tam paid another $813 fine for misusing city funds for meals, then threatened to sue the Ethics Commission for picking on him. Aw, don’t go away mad; just go away.

» State Sen. Josh Green wrote an official letter pressing the city to settle a six-figure billing dispute with a private company, then eight days later got a $2,000 campaign donation from the company. It’s a political custom called "quid pro dough."

» State health officials posted alerts along the Ala Wai canal after a broken pipe in Manoa caused 1,275 gallons of untreated sewage to spill. The Ala Wai is one of the rare waterways where sewage actually improves the water quality.

And the quote of the week … from Mental Health America of Hawai‘i’s Marya Grambs on reports that 1,200 people gave up on calls to Hawaii’s only suicide hotline in September after waiting through 16 rings, a recorded announcement and a request to leave a message: "That’s really unconscionable. People who are suicidal should not be put on hold." It’s like trying to testify to the PLDC.

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Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.